


Mac and Cheese is Where It's At

by devoosha



Series: The Artist Keith and Lance Grad Student AU (for lack of a better name) [2]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: AU where Keith is a college art teacher and Lance is a grad student, Aged-Up Character(s), First Date, Fluff, Hunk (Voltron) is a Good Friend, Lance and Keith are neighbors, Lance is a dork and a nervous wreck, M/M, sequel to another one shot, this might end up being a series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-22
Updated: 2018-06-22
Packaged: 2019-05-26 23:12:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,141
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15011486
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/devoosha/pseuds/devoosha
Summary: After meeting in "You Like My Cooking?", Lance and Keith have their first date.  Or Lance cooks Keith mac and cheese and they watch shark videos.  This is a sequel one shot and it does help to read the first one (if you haven't already) in order to know what is going on.  "Mac and Cheese is Where It's At" is told from Lance's point of view.





	Mac and Cheese is Where It's At

**Author's Note:**

> I was so excited and happy at the response to "You Like My Cooking?"! Many of the comments mentioned wanting to see more of this AU. I hadn't PLANNED on writing more - that was basically a writing prompt that I thought was cool and wanted to use. But when I read comments on continuing the story, I immediately got ideas for a few more one shots, so I thought I might as well create this as a series! I truly hope you enjoy! And thank you to those who read the first of the series and commented and kudo'ed! It really inspired me!

**Mac and Cheese is Where It's At**

 

“Hunk!  My best friend!  The platonic love of my life!  You will NEVER believe what happened yesterday!”

“Please tell me you finally cleaned your car out.”

“What?”

“Your car.  I am NOT getting into that thing ever again until you clean it.  Seriously, how can you even get into it when it smells like that?”

“Do NOT make fun of my Baby!  That Blue Bunny has served me well for years!” Lance cried, offended.

“I’m just saying that if you really loved your car - and me - like you say you do, you will do us both a favor and clean it.  I swear there is something dead in there.”

“There is nothing DEAD in there!” Lance insisted.

“Just clean it, Lance.”

“Anyway, that is NOT what happened yesterday,” Lance said, bouncing on the balls of his feet.

Hunk looked up from his laptop, which was resting where a laptop should – on his lap.  Hunk himself sat on his couch in his apartment.  Lance had let himself in – he had his own key.  “Don’t tell me you finally beat that level on the Lego Marvel game?  I never thought you’d get past that…”

“NO Hunk!  That’s not it!  This is way better than that.  Besides, I got past that level last week!  I told you that!  No, yesterday I…”

“You actually did all of your laundry?  Without the washing machine breaking?”

“HUNK STOP!” Lance nearly shouted, “Quit distracting me and I’ll tell you!”

Hunk chuckled, holding up his hands in surrender.  “Ok ok, go on.”

“I think I sort of had a date with Mullet Man!”

Hunk stared up at him and said nothing for over a full minute.  Lance looked down at Hunk with the biggest smile on his face.  “Your ‘apartment building Mullet Man’?”

Lance rolled his eyes, then practically fell into the comfy couch next to Hunk, leaning on the arm of his closest friend.  “What other Mullet Men do I have in my life?”

“Mullet Man of the beautiful purple eyes and dark hair and mysterious aura?  The one that looks like he carries around deep, dark secrets and a haunted past?” Hunk continued, putting his fingers up to his cheeks and making a lovey-dovey face at Lance, the movement pushing Lance to the side.

“Don’t throw my words back at me,” Lance complained as he straightened up, turning his body toward Hunk.

“I’m sorry, but when you describe a guy like that, those words need to be remembered and used as often as possible.”

“Traitor,” Lance grumbled.

“How do you sort of have a date with Mullet Man?”

“First of all, you will never believe how I did it,” Lance began.

“Actually, I probably would,” Hunk reasoned.  “I’ve come to expect completely weird things from you.”

“Thanks,” Lance said, accepting that as a complement.  “So I told you I literally ran into him in the lobby before we went to the club right?  And that I invited him to join us?  And that he shot me down?”

“I do recall.  I spent about an hour comforting you as you cried into your drink.”

Lance made a face.  “I did NOT cry,” he insisted, then noticed Hunk’s ‘look’.  “Much.  Just a little.”

“If you say so.”

“So on Sunday I was actually going to dedicate my entire day writing up all that research data I got from the aquarium last month.  Or at least start on it.”

“I take it that didn’t happen.”

“No.  And you know why?  SOMEthing was distracting me.”

“Big surprise.  What was it?”

“The most delicious smell you’ve ever smelled.”

“I don’t know, Lance.  I’ve smelled some pretty good smells.”

“This even rivaled your cooking.  I’ve told you that my neighbor is always cooking shit that smells good, right?”  When Hunk nodded without comment, Lance continued.  “So here I am on Sunday.  Starving and neck deep into speed data of the Mako shark and this smell is driving me to distraction.”

“To be fair, everything drives you to distraction.”

“Not when I’m working on my shark stuff, Hunk.  You know better.  Anyway, all I could think of was this smell and the fact that I was down to my last packet of ramen noodles and I don’t know.  I just lost all reason.  I grabbed a plate from my cupboard and went next door to beg for food.”

“You didn’t!”

“I did!  I just hoped it would be some kind-hearted soul who would take pity on me.  You know, like you do when you feed me.”

“That is true.  I am a kind-hearted soul,” Hunk agreed modestly.  “So you just went knocking on a strangers’ door to beg for their food because it smelled good?”

“No, Hunk.  It smelled DIVINE!”

“Ah, yes, of course.”

“You will never guess who opened the door!”

“Uh, that’s an easy guess.  Mullet Man?”

“Mullet Man!” Lance confirmed.  He nervously played with the hem of his shirt.  “Dude, I thought my heart was going to just stop, you know?  I was thinking I had completely messed up the night before, and now here I was with a plate in my hand coming to BEG from him.  I felt like a total idiot!”

“I have to admit, I would have too.”

“Right?  And I know I confused him at first.  I put on my most charming smile and begged.  I had no shame sadly.  Thankfully, in spite of his dark and brooding look, he is a kind-hearted soul like you.”

“I’m still not seeing how this is sort of a date?” Hunk said.  “Begging food from someone isn’t actually dating them.  I know it’s been a while for you, but that’s not how it works.”

“You didn’t let me finish.”

“Carry on, my wayward son.”

Lance made a face.  “Thanks, Kansas,” he muttered.  “Anyway, he didn’t just give me food.  He invited me in to join him for dinner.”

“Ok, that’s sounding a little more like a date.”

“I know.  And as the afternoon went on it felt more and more like it.”

“Do tell.”

“He was just wonderful, Hunk,” Lance said, leaning back against the back of the couch, a dreamy expression stealing across his features.  Hunk looked at him a little more seriously.  “His name is Keith and he teaches art at the community college at the edge of town.  He’s from a town about four hours away, is pretty much an orphan, but has an older brother named Shiro and a best friend named Pidge.  He paints, dabbles a bit in sculpture and likes to do something called copper tooling, though I didn’t quite understand what that was.  He has questionable taste in ice cream, but loves to cook.  He had paintings and sculptures in his apartment that HE did, Hunk.  They were beautiful!  He has this gorgeous cat named Red who likes me.  And he’s gay and bad at dating.”

“Sounds like you got to know him pretty well,” Hunk said carefully.  Lance was always giving his heart away and getting hurt and Hunk was always there to deal with the aftermath of the heartbreak.  For someone who was as good-looking as Lance was and as sweet as he was, the boy had no luck in the romance department.  Just Jenny in high school and that didn’t even really count.  Jenny was there to hide the fact that Lance was gay.

Once Lance came out in college, he had trouble finding the sort of meaningful relationship he was looking for.  College kids wanted quick hookups and no strings attached relationships.  At least the guys that attracted Lance.  Lance was an old-fashioned, overly romantic young man.  A series of short-lived relationships followed Lance all through college, so his friend had sort of given up and dedicated himself to his work.  The result was Lance achieving his educational goals quickly, though he had to put love on back burner.

Hunk had noticed a change, though, when they moved back to Altea.  Lance got an apartment by himself because he flat out told Hunk that he couldn’t live with anyone else and he wouldn’t intrude on Hunk’s relationship with Shay.  They had only been back a couple of weeks, but right away Hunk started hearing about this guy that lived somewhere in Lance’s apartment building.  The guy, nicknamed Mullet Man for lack of a better name, had caught Lance’s eye and would not leave Lance’s thoughts at all.  Hunk and Shay encouraged Lance to approach him, but Lance – who was usually never shy and was always outgoing – couldn’t seem to muster the courage to approach this enigma.

Lance’s tone of voice as he told Hunk all about Mullet Man was a tone that Hunk had never heard before.  Lance was in deep for this guy already.  Keith, Hunk reminded himself.  Lance was in deep for Keith. 

“So you had dinner with him,” Hunk stated.  “Then what?”

“Hunk, honestly?  It felt like I was already a part of his life.  Does that sound stupid?” Lance asked, worrying his bottom lip a little with his teeth.  He seemed uncertain.

“Well, I mean, you just met the guy technically.”

“I know,” Lance groaned.  “But you don’t know how easy he was to talk to.  And here I thought he was a brooding and angry guy.  He’s not!  Just shy.  I can tell.  I don’t think he has many friends and he doesn’t get out much, you know?  Like he’s almost anti-social and makes himself go out on all these dates and never enjoys himself.”

“All these dates?”

“Yeah!  He’s constantly going out with all these different guys!”  Lance paused, then flushed.  “I mean, not like THAT.  He’s not, like, a slut or anything.  He said he was just trying to find someone he connected with, so he uses one of those dating apps.  All he’s ever had is one date with a guy and all THEY ever want is more than just dinner and a movie, if you get my drift.”  Hunk nodded.  “He doesn’t give them what they want.  I think he’s lonely and frustrated because he can’t find someone who likes HIM.  Not just what he can do for them in bed.”

Hunk had to chuckle at Lance’s red face, which earned him a little glare from his best friend.  “Sounds like you’re both looking for the same thing,” he commented.

Lance nodded, his cheeks still burning.  “I thought that too.  He’s not looking for a one-night stand, and neither am I.  And, I don’t know, it just felt so natural being with him.  I wasn’t self-conscious.  Much.  I still felt anxious about him liking me, but nothing about yesterday felt awkward.  Except for my initial food begging thing.”

“Then what?”

“I did dishes for him.  I mean, he did make dinner and I did sort of hog my way into it.  It was the least I could do.”

“The very least,” Hunk agreed.

“Then I offered to buy him ice cream to thank him.  He said I didn’t have to, but I really didn’t want the day to end, you know?  And I told him that.”

“You did?  What did he say?”

“Nothing really.  Just agreed, but he blushed the prettiest blush you ever saw!”

“Aw, how cute!”

“He was!” Lance insisted.  “He went to change – he was wearing old clothes because he was painting when I got there.  And his mullet was in a ponytail that was way hotter than it should have been.  When he came out, he had let his hair down and brushed his teeth.  Freshly brushed teeth is ALWAYS a good sign.”

“I have to agree.”

“I ran over to my place and freshened up my own breath and made sure I still looked as handsome as I could be and we walked over to Mooneys.”

“Excellent ice cream choice,” Hunk approved.

“Exactly!  I bought him a cone and we went to hang out at the park for about an hour.  Just people watching and talking.  It definitely felt like a date then.”

“I would consider it a date.”

“We walked back and we were outside his door and I just asked if I impressed him.  He had told me earlier that it wouldn’t take much to impress him on a date.  He just wanted someone who wanted to be with him.  So I felt pretty bold and asked him that.  He asked if this were a date and I told him about how I had wanted to ask him out for a while.  That I had noticed him weeks ago and was trying to get the courage to ask him out.  He blushed so pretty again and said I did impress him.  I swear my heart almost exploded right there, Hunk!”

Hunk, by now, was wearing a huge grin.  “I can just imagine loverboy.”

Lance beamed.  “So I asked if he wanted to do that again, and that I could make him some Kraft Mac and Cheese and we could watch shark documentaries at my place and he said YES!  He said YES HUNK!  Then I kissed him!  Just a little kiss and he wanted MORE!  He’s coming over tonight!”

“No way!”

“Yes way!  I had to come over and tell you IN PERSON!” Lance nearly squealed.  “But I gotta go back and get ready.  I can’t believe he likes me.  Or at least wants to see me again.”

“Just be careful,” Hunk cautioned.  “He may be a serial killer.”

“Serial killers don’t have cute and fluffy cats like that.”

“Dr. Evil did.  Well, until all the fluff was lost in the cryo-pod.  And didn’t that Dr. Claw guy on Inspector Gadget have a cat?”

Lance waved his hand, “Irrelevant, Hunkster.  This is real life.  Besides, he could have killed me yesterday and he didn’t.”

“True enough.  Do you want me to make you something for your date?  A dessert maybe?”

“You’d do that for me?”

“I’d do anything for you, you dork.  You’re my best friend.”

Lance leaned over and hugged Hunk tightly, almost knocking the precious laptop onto the floor.  “That’s why I love you!”

 

* * *

 

 

Lance spent the rest of the afternoon cleaning his apartment.  Not that it needed a lot of cleaning.  He had only just moved in and hardly had time to give it that lived-in feeling.  Surely, his ‘stuff’ was sprawled around the place and he was mostly unpacked.  He was, by nature, a neat person.  He just collected things.  A lot of things.  He proudly displayed those things everywhere he could squeeze something.  The small living room/kitchen/dining room was overflowing with bookcases and shelving units to give him somewhere to place his things – knickknacks, souvenirs, and some of the hundreds of books he owned.

Thrift stores and curbside acquisitions provided his furniture.  He wasn’t too proud to grab a table or shelf if he saw one out for trash.  He did draw the line at mattresses and anything with a cushion.  He scrimped and saved his pennies (and begged his parents) to buy those.  He did have some standards, after all.  You never know who did what on a piece of furniture that could absorb all sorts of bodily fluids.  No.  Just no.

His place was already clean, but he had to make sure it was spotless.  Something about him impressed Keith the day before.  He didn’t want to spoil that impression by Keith thinking he lived like a pig.  He was nervous, as well.  He had never really entertained in his place before.  At least not a date.  The few dates he had gone on in college were always ‘going out’ dates where he tried to dazzle the guy with a pricey restaurant or hot new nightclub.  When you shared an apartment with someone as sweet as Hunk, you definitely didn’t want to subject that cinnamon roll to awkward dates in the dining room.

Besides, he wasn’t a young nineteen year old anymore, though he was often surprised that he was in his twenties.  He still felt like a very young teenager.  And acted like it.  He hoped Keith wouldn’t think that.  “Oh Dios mio, what if he thinks I’m completely lame.  Honestly?” he said aloud to himself, looking at the boxes of Kraft sitting on his counter.  “I’m making him mac and cheese out of a box with a powdered cheese like substance.  What the fuck am I thinking?”

Keith was a teacher.  He had a real job.  Lance got the feeling that Keith was older than he was.  He should have asked Keith his age.  _‘What idiot would make a hot, older, adult guy stupid Kraft Mac and Cheese?  Me, that’s who,’_ Lance thought bitterly.  It sounded cute and charming last night, but in the harsh reality of day, it was just plain stupid.

Lance groaned and grabbed his phone.  “Hunk!” he shouted into it when his friend picked up.  “I’m having a crisis!”

“When aren’t you?”

“I’m serious!  I’m standing here having a panic attack!”

“What happened, Lance?  I was literally there an hour ago with the cheesecake.  You were fine.  Excited, but fine.”

“I’m making mac and cheese.  Like how stupid is that?”

“Um, that’s what you said you planned to do?”

“Yes, but it’s stupid!  How can I think this is a good idea?  Keith is going to think the worst of me,” Lance whined.  “He’s just this wonderful guy who’s an adult and sophisticated and an artist and beautiful and he’s going to realize he’s wasting his time on this stupid lame-o next door who gives him mac and cheese to eat and forces him to watch stupid shark videos.”

“Lance, stop,” Hunk said, using the sternest voice he could muster to halt the rapid-fire word panic from Lance.  “Didn’t you tell Keith that you’d make him mac and cheese?  From a box?”

“Yes.”

“Didn’t you specifically say to him, sarcastically, a gourmet meal of Kraft Mac and Cheese?”

“Yes.”

“Doesn’t he know you’re a poor college student?”

“Yes.”

“Didn’t you invite him for dinner at your place, for mac and cheese, and shark videos?”

“Yes.”

“What was Keith’s answer when you asked him?”

“Yes.”

“So he already knows what to expect, doofus.  You’re worrying for nothing.  He knows he’s getting Kraft Mac and Cheese.  He knows he’s getting shark videos.  Knowing all of that, he still agreed to come over.  Dude, he’s coming over to spend time with you, not to have a gourmet meal or tickets to the opera.  If he wanted that, I’m sure he could look on that app of his and get it.”

“This is why I love you, Hunk.”

“Why do I hear that as often as I do?”

He felt much better after hanging up with Hunk.  Logic could do that for him.  Keith would not agree to come over if he was looking for a fancy date.  Lance had told him enough the day before that Keith would know that Lance would not be able to afford something like that.  He just wanted so much for this first/second date to go well.  He felt they had connected yesterday and he hoped for this to develop into something more.

Lance may or may not have stalked Keith’s schedule online by looking at the course catalog for the current semester at Altea Community College.  Keith was listed as teaching Painting I on Mondays from one to four.  This made Lance guestimate that Keith might be home around five, taking into account finishing up at school and the travel time home.  Around four-thirty, he stood at the wall he shared with Keith, his ear pressed against it as he listened for the sound of Keith arriving home.

Lance had left a note on Keith’s door asking him to come over when he got home, but Lance hoped that Keith would take about ten minutes or so to settle his things and freshen up, giving Lance enough time to start the dinner.

Sure enough, at about quarter to five, Lance heard the key scrape in Keith’s lock and the door open.  A loud meow from Red welcomed Keith home and Lance couldn’t help but smile as he listened to Keith greet the lord of the manor.  He faintly heard Keith ask if Red was hungry and Lance breathed a sigh of relief.  He should have time before Keith arrived.

He ran over to the stove and turned the heat on under the pan of water.  As it heated, he ran around his apartment for one last check that everything was in place, then rushed into the bathroom to make sure he looked presentable.  As self-assured as he usually acted about his looks, he was actually a little insecure and he hoped Keith wouldn’t mind his darker skin or his freckles or his plain hair.

One last brush of the teeth – just in case – and then back out to the kitchen.  Still no Keith, but his water was boiling so he dumped three boxes of the pasta into it.  Then he paced.  And paced.  And panicked again.  Maybe Keith wouldn’t come over.  Maybe he was just humoring Lance to get rid of him.  No.  Keith wanted to keep kissing after that little kiss last night.  Lance was sure of it.  Lance couldn’t mistake the look in Keith’s eyes.  Or could he?  Ugh, why wasn’t he here yet?

Lance had just decided that Keith wasn’t coming over and that he would end up eating all three boxes worth of Kraft Mac and Cheese AND Hunk’s cheesecake to console his broken heart when he heard first a laugh then a knock.  His heart jumped up into his throat as he scrambled for the door, then paused to calm himself because he didn’t want to look TOO eager.  He took a deep breath, smoothed his clothes and reached for the doorknob.

“Chez McClain?” Keith asked, pointing at the sign on the door Lance had decorated and hung up earlier.  His expression was amused.

Lance blushed, hoping Keith didn’t think it was stupid.  He HAD called it that last night.  Again, cute last night, stupid today?  “Hello to you too, sir,” Lance said, putting on his best smile.  “Welcome to the newest and hottest restaurant in Altea.”

“I’ve heard good things.  Word of mouth, you know.  There’s nothing posted on Yelp! yet,” Keith responded.  He held up a bottle of wine.  “I also heard it was BYOB sort of place, so…”

Lance’s heart melted even more.  How smooth.  There were inklings of a sense of humor yesterday, but wow, just pierce him through the heart once more, Keith.  He laughed as Keith handed him the bottle, “Thank you.  We’re relatively new and I believe you are our first customer.  Please, come in.”

Lance stepped back, allowing Keith to come in, and giving Lance the opportunity to check him out.  Damn, he looked good.  He was dressed nice in a light lavender button down shirt and black khakis.  _‘He dressed up for me!’_ Lance squealed in his thoughts.  Lance was glad he had dug out a decent outfit himself, though it was just a long-sleeved shirt in blue and his nicest khaki shorts. 

Keith smiled at him, then turned his attention to look around the apartment with a curious expression.  Lance just watched him a little apprehensively.  Contrasting their apartments was like night and day.  Keith was apparently minimalist, though he had his artwork in his place.  Lance’s place was overstuffed with his pack rat acquisitions and too many strings of small white Christmas lights. _‘I hope he doesn’t think I’m too weird.’_

Lance blushed again when Keith’s eyes rested on his rickety old card table that served as a dining room table.  Lance tried to disguise it with a brightly colored tablecloth he had appropriated from his Abuela, but it was still obviously a metal card table.  The covering didn’t hide the legs.  He at least had found decent chairs on some random curb in San Diego.

There were two lit candles on the table along with his mismatched plates and silverware.  “Looks like quite the romantic place,” Keith mentioned, his eyes finding Lance’s again.

Lance swallowed nervously.  “That’s the ambiance I was going for,” Lance said, then started when his timer went off.  “Please, have a seat.  I’ll have your dinner ready in a minute.”

He set the wine on the table, then rushed into the kitchen area, rubbing his sweaty palms against his shorts.  Gah, why was he so nervous?  He was a little nervous yesterday, but he was at least able to be charming and talkative.  Keith was the one who barely said anything and who seemed nervous.  Now the tables were turned and Keith had come in like some smooth Casanova. 

Lance spared a quick glance at Keith while he drained the macaroni.  He had seated himself at the table on the side where he’d be able to look at the rest of the room, which he was doing while Lance prepared their dinner.  Granted, there was a lot to look at, but Keith didn’t look disturbed or annoyed.  His expression was genuinely curious and he wore a soft smile as he waited patiently.

It took Lance only a few minutes to mix up the Mac and Cheese.  It didn’t exactly take a trained chef to make it, he thought with a frown.  Mamá had given him a pretty Cuban serving bowl that Lance poured the prepared dinner in.  He dug through his cupboard for wine glasses, ones he had gotten free with wine tastings and, he was happy to note, looked clean.  Carrying the bowl, the glasses, and his old corkscrew, he joined Keith at the table, placing the bowl down with a flourish.  “Dinner is served!”

“It looks quite delicious,” Keith said, holding his hand out for the corkscrew, which Lance handed him.  “I can pour the wine.”

“What kind is it?” Lance asked as he sat down across from Keith.

“It’s a Riesling,” Keith answered as he opened the bottle.  Lance noted that Keith looked quite the expert on opening it.  “It pairs well with Mac and Cheese, according to the guy at the wine store.”

“You actually asked some wine guy for a good wine for Mac and Cheese?”

“Of course.  I wanted the best one for this.  He looked a little confused, but he suggested this.”  Keith poured, then handed the glass to Lance before pouring his own.  Lance looked at the wine, swirled it a little, then sniffed it, all while Keith watched.

“I actually have no idea what I’m doing,” Lance admitted.  “I just like to drink it.”

Keith laughed at that, “I honestly don’t think most of those wine snobs know what they’re doing.  I love watching them do a tasting though.  They’re so pretentious!”

Relieved, Lance grinned back at him, then lifted the glass.  “To first dates.”

They clinked their glasses together and drank, then Keith said, “So we’re not counting yesterday as our first date?”

Lance made a show of thinking it over, finger pressing delicately against his chin.  “Well, I suppose we could, but I don’t know if a date counts as a date if neither of the datees knows that it’s a date.”

“True,” Keith agreed as Lance dished out the food.  “What about if it did feel like a date?”

“Hmm.  That’s a good point.  However, isn’t a date only a date if someone asks someone out on one?  Does begging food on one side and pity on the other constitute a date?”

Keith’s eyes were dancing with amusement as he listened.  “Your logic is sound,” Keith conceded. 

“So this should be considered our FIRST date,” Lance insisted.  “I mean, that’s what we can tell our grandkids when they ask.”

Holy shit, why the fuck did he say that?  Hunk was always telling him he spoke before he thought and he cringed as Keith raised his eyebrows, his fork pausing halfway up to his mouth.  Fuck, it was their first date and he mentioned GRANDKIDS?  What an idiot he was.  He wouldn’t be surprised if Keith just freaked and ran out.

“Oh Dios mio, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that!” Lance gasped out.

To his complete surprise, Keith took it in stride.  He merely shrugged and said, “No need to apologize.  It’s good to be on the same page for the grandkids, so they don’t think we’re nuts.  I mean, we want to be the cool grandparents, don’t we?”

The cartoon image of a character with his jaw dropping onto the floor popped into Lance’s head and he swore it felt like that’s what happened to him.  Lance dreamed of having a family and never thought he would find someone else who did.  Did Keith?  And he didn’t think Lance was crazy by saying that on the first date?  Oh, he was definitely a keeper.

“Can I admit something?” Lance blurted, once again before he thought.

“Sure,” Keith said, smiling.

“You are making me so nervous!”

Keith laughed then.  “I am?  Why?”

“I don’t know.  I just want you to like me.  I had such a good time yesterday and I really like you.  Then I thought today that this might be a stupid idea.  You deserve more than cheap food and my crappy apartment, so I got really nervous that you would think I was lame…”

“Lance,” Keith interrupted, leaning forward and putting his fork down on his plate.  His expression looked earnest and…fond.  “I don’t think you’re lame.  And I don’t think this is stupid.  It’s sweet.  I’m touched that you think that highly of me and that you want to impress me, but you don’t have to.  I already like you.  I mean, for not knowing you all that well, I like you.”  He looked away to the side for a moment before continuing, “I don’t want to make assumptions, or anything, but I do have a good feeling about this…”

“I do too!” Lance agreed eagerly.

Keith looked back at him and smiled again.  “This is a perfect first date to me.  I really just want to get to know you better and it’s easier to do that in a quiet place where we’re not distracted.  We can talk and not worry about anything, ok?”

Lance nodded as the feeling of a huge weight lifted off his shoulders.  Keith liked him.  Keith wanted to get to know him.  Keith wanted to talk to him.  Keith wanted to be alone with him.  This was too much for his poor heart to take.

“Ok,” he agreed.  “I won’t worry.  I’m really glad you came over.”

“I’m glad you invited me.  You weren’t kidding.  You do make a mean Mac and Cheese,” Keith praised him, a mischievous twinkle in his eye as he picked up his fork again. 

“Oh it’s only gourmet for you,” Lance said airily, waving a hand in the air.  “No Velveeta Shells and Cheese here.  I buy only top brand Kraft.”

Keith chuckled.  “I can tell.”

“So I told Hunk all about you and he’s looking forward to meeting you.”

“He is?”

“Yeah.  He may want to meet you just to prove to himself that you’re real.  I think he thinks you’re a figment of my imagination.”

“Why would he think that?”

“Hunk has this idea that I’m a hopeless romantic.  I have no idea where he gets that,” Lance said, ignoring the little snort of laughter from Keith. 

Keith looked around the apartment again, notably at the candles, “It’s a mystery.”

“So how was your day?” Lance asked.

“Good,” Keith answered.  “I have three classes on Monday.”

“I know.  I sort of stalked your class catalog online.”

“You did?”

“Well yeah.  I neglected to get your number, so I couldn’t TEXT you to ask when you’d be home.  And I didn’t ASK what time you’d be home because I was so nervous asking you in the first place,” Lance said indignantly.  “I mean, when you’re slaving all day over a hot stove, it’s nice to know WHEN you need to serve dinner!”

Keith laughed, “Fair enough.”  Lance shook his head, marveling at the fact that Keith wasn’t bothered by his stalking tendencies.  Keith held out his hand, “Here, give me your phone.”  Lance unlocked his phone and handed it to Keith, who entered in his contact information while speaking, “The semester is almost over, so it’s a bit of a headache dealing with the students right now.  I have half the class begging for extra credit to bring up their grades in my Art Appreciation class.  And don’t even get me started on the kids trying to finish their final projects.  One girl lost her sculpture.  Lost it!  Like how does that even happen?  The thing is three feet tall!”

When Keith handed Lance his phone back, after texting his own number so that Keith would now have Lance’s number, Lance glanced at it and almost screeched.  Keith put a heart emoji after his own name.  As if he knew Lance would have done that anyway.  He chose not to mention it, however.  “Lost a three foot sculpture?  Of what?” 

“I’m honestly not sure.  It’s an abstract piece.  It’s cool, but I’m not sure what she’s trying to convey with it.  She cast it in resin and took it home to work on it.  Somewhere between school and home she lost it.”

“Doesn’t sound like the smartest girl in your class.”

Keith nodded.  “She is kind of a ditz, but she’s a good artist.  Her work, when it’s not lost in the streets of Altea, is actually pretty good.  I’ve been encouraging her to apply to some art school.  I think she could do well there.”

“It must be fascinating to see all these budding artists.”

“It is and it isn’t.  I teach quite a few classes that aren’t for art students.  They’re electives for kids wanting humanities credits.  So a lot of students that aren’t artists or have ever done anything art-related before.  I see plenty of awful work, but it’s great to see them try.  Everyone expresses themselves so differently.  That’s really cool to see.”

Lance sighed, “I wish I had even a tiny bit of artistic sense in my body.”

Keith seemed surprised, “But you do!”

Lance shook his head, “No, not really.  I mean, I can’t draw really well.  I managed some shark drawings for my thesis – diagrams and stuff like that – but those aren’t difficult to draw.  I’m just not creative.”

“How can you say that?” Keith asked.  He vaguely gestured at the apartment.  “You don’t get a place to look like this if you don’t have some sort of creativity.”

“What do you mean?” Lance asked blankly.

“It’s pretty in here,” Keith said.  “My place looks like an art gallery, in a way, but this place looks like a cool and funky SoHo apartment.”

“It’s furnished with junk!” Lance objected.

“I don’t think it’s junk!”

“It’s crap I picked up at the side of the road,” Lance said, looking down at his plate again.  “Just my couch and bed are bought.  I don’t…I don’t work.  Not really.  So I had to improvise.”

“That takes creativity,” Keith insisted.  “Your place looks great.  Like a real home.”

Lance looked up into Keith’s eyes.  The other man was smiling softly at him and Lance felt like his heart would burst.  Keith was sincere, he could tell, and Lance felt the embarrassment over his apartment start to disappear.  “I thought you’d think my place sucked and that I sucked too.  That I’m pathetic.”

“You have to stop worrying that I’m going to think that.  I told you, I already like you,” Keith said with a little chuckle.  “I don’t think you’re pathetic or lame.  You’re interesting, funny, intelligent,” he paused for a moment.  “Cute.”  Lance beamed at him.  “Lance, I realize you’re a grad student and probably don’t have a lot of money.  I get it.  I was in college not too long ago.”

“How long ago?”

“A couple of years.”

“So you’re not much older than me?”

“Is that your way of trying to find out how old I am?” Keith teased, and Lance knew Keith was throwing his own flirtation back in his face from the day before.

“Well, yeah,” Lance admitted with a cheeky grin.  “I mean, for all I know you could be a creepy old man preying on a pretty young boy.”

Keith tried to look offended, but the laugh he barked out negated that.  “Creepy old man?  Do I really look that old?”

“No.  But you know, plastic surgery and all that can do wonders.”

“I’m twenty-four.  Just a year older than you, smartass.”

Keith calling him a name shouldn’t have pleased him as much as it did.  It showed him that Keith felt comfortable being with him and Lance couldn’t have been more thrilled.  But he HAD to be teasing back, “So I was right!  A creepy old man!”

Keith was relentless though, and Lance knew he’d met his match.  “But I’m still not sure where this pretty young boy I’m supposed to be preying on is,” Keith teased.  Oh yes, this mullet-headed hottie was definitely the one for him.

Lance pretended to be insulted and huffed.  They stared at each other for a minute before bursting into laughter. 

 

* * *

 

 

“You don’t HAVE to wash the dishes,” Lance protested as he stood next to Keith at the sink, towel in hand.  “We could just leave them and I’ll wash them later.”

The flutters in Lance’s stomach increased as he heard Keith’s soft laughter over the water running into the sink.  “Lance,” he said in an amused tone, “there is literally two plates, a pot, two forks and the spoon you used to mix the mac and cheese.  I think I can handle it.  If we get them cleaned now, you don’t have to worry about them.”

“But you shouldn’t have to wash them.”

“You cooked, I clean.  Just like yesterday, only with our roles reversed.  I honestly don’t mind and I’ll be done in a few minutes.”

“I know, but I feel weird having you do this.  I invited you over here.  Yesterday I invited myself.”

“No,” Keith corrected meticulously.  “I invited you.  You didn’t invite yourself.  You were just begging for scraps.  Like a little puppy.”

Lance snorted, wiping the now-clean plate Keith handed to him with the towel, “If you put it that way.  At least I hope I was like a cute little puppy?”

“Adorable,” Keith murmured, his eyes on his hands in the sink.  Lance blushed and felt like he wanted to dance around the kitchen, but he controlled the impulse.  Keith cleared his throat as he handed the other dish to Lance.  “Thank you again for dinner, by the way.”

“I know you said mac and cheese was ok, but I really wish I knew how to cook something better.  My repertoire includes Kraft, Hamburger Helper and Ramen packets.  I wish I could cook like my Mamá and my Abuelita.  I wish you could try their food.  Authentic Cuban food is the most amazing thing ever.”

“It does sound delicious.  I haven’t ever really tried cooking it myself.”

“I miss it.  Visits home are few and far between.  I’ve been so busy,” he sighed.  “There’s a Cuban restaurant on the other side of town and they are pretty close.  But nothing beats my Abuelita’s ropa viejo.”

Keith handed him the clean pot and smiled at Lance.  “What’s that?”

“It’s like stewed beef, cooked with a bunch of stuff like tomatoes and peppers.  Abuelita served it with rice and black beans and plantains.”

“Mmm, I’d like to try that,” Keith said, handing the last of the clean silverware to Lance.  “Can I ask you something?”

“Of course!”

Keith pulled the stopper in the sink in order to drain it.  “You said yesterday that you missed home so you moved back here.  But you also talk about Miami as home.”

“Ahh yeah,” Lance said, chuckling to himself.  “I guess Miami is always home to me.  It’s where my family is and where I grew up, you know?  But Altea?  When I moved here with Hunk it was like I was able to start over.  It may sound dumb, but I found myself here.  Corny, I know, but I was finally able to be myself.”

“You didn’t feel you could do that at home?”

“Not exactly.  Cuban culture still has some issues with gays.  It’s getting better, but Cubanos can sometimes not accept it.  I felt like I couldn’t be that way back home.  On South Beach?  Sure!  But we didn’t live near South Beach.  We were in Little Havana.  I didn’t even tell my family until I got here.  That was hard, but they were all surprisingly cool about it, even Papi.  I really thought he’d disown me.”

Keith frowned as he briefly washed his hands and dried them on a fresh towel.  “That must have been a relief.”

“A big relief.  I love my family and the thought of never seeing them again…” Lance trailed off, looking down at the towel in his own hands.  He took a deep breath.  “It was ok though.  But even though I still think of Miami as home-home, Altea has become home to me.  Hunk and I lived here together for four years and I grew up a lot.”  Seeing Keith’s small smile, he grinned.  “Grew up, not necessarily matured all that much.”

Keith laughed. 

“So when Hunk and I left for San Diego, I found myself missing Altea.  I volunteered and interned at the aquarium here and really loved it.  I made friends other than Hunk.  I just love this city.  Don’t get me wrong.  We loved San Diego, but both of us loved Altea more.  For Hunk, with Shay still here, it was an easy decision to come back.  For me too, because I couldn’t bear to part with Hunk.”

“I understand that,” Keith commented quietly, leaning against the counter.  “I miss my brother and Pidge more than anything.  I mean, they are relatively close by, but I miss seeing them every day.”

Lance nodded, folding the towel he had used and laying it on the countertop.  “It hurts, it really does.  Hunk has been my closest friend forever.  I don’t know what I’d have done without him here when I was going through my gay crisis.”

Keith laughed again.  Lance loved making him laugh.  His resting face looked almost brooding, but it completely changed when he laughed.  The wrinkles at the corners of his eyes when they squeezed shut did things to Lance’s heart. 

“How about you?  What’s your coming out story?”

Keith shrugged, “Nothing really dramatic.  I told Shiro when I was sixteen.  There was a boy I had a crush on and Shiro noticed how I acted around him.  Our dad was good friends with his dad, so we saw each other a lot when we were younger and Shiro kind of kept in touch after Dad died.  He was a couple of years older, straight, and already in college, so I knew nothing would ever come of it, but still.”

“You weren’t scared of Shiro knowing?”

Keith shook his head.  “Not really?  I mean, I was nervous to tell him.  But he’s pretty open-minded, so I didn’t think he would consider it a big deal.  I wasn’t even worried to tell Pidge.”

“Did you have any problems at school?”

“No, because I didn’t let anyone else know.  I mean, I didn’t date girls, so I’m sure a lot of the other kids thought I was gay, but I was kind of a loner type and didn’t have many friends.  I’m better now, but I kind of like to keep to myself.  So there wasn’t really anyone else to know.”

Lance hummed to himself, then smiled, “Well I’m glad you’re a little more social now.”

“I try.  I’m still shy.  That’s one reason why I didn’t want to go to that club on Saturday.  Not because of you, but because of the crowd.  Well, to be honest, you were also one of the reasons.”

“Me?”

“Yeah.  You intimidated me when you asked.”

“Little innocent me?”

Keith rolled his eyes.  “Yeah.”  Then he blushed and Lance was intrigued.

“Why the blush?” Lance teased, leaning closer.

Keith pressed his palm over his face.  “You were too good-looking for me to say I would go.”

Lance really felt a clutch at his heart at that.  He thought Keith was beautiful, so to hear him say that he thought Lance was too good-looking for him was shocking.  He could also tell Keith was embarrassed, so even though he sort of wanted to tease him, he didn’t want to upset him.  “Hey, I forgot to tell you!  Hunk made us dessert because he’s the best human being ever!”

“He did?” Keith asked, dropping his hand and looked relieved at the subject change.  “You made that poor soul make us dessert?”

“No!” Lance objected.  “Once he found out I was cooking you a gourmet meal, he volunteered.  I did NOT beg for this.  For once.  He did it all on his own.”

“What did he make us?” Keith’s tone was amused.

“Cheesecake.  But Hunk-style cheesecake.  It’s not like Cheesecake Factory, which of course is very good.  This is different.  You’ll see.  I hope you like cheesecake?” Lance asked, looking at Keith hopefully.

“I love it!”

“Good!”  Lance turned to retrieve the treat from the fridge where Hunk had put it.  In a few minutes he had the dessert plated on paper plates and he handed one to Keith.  “Enjoy!”

“It looks good,” Keith commented as he dug the spoon Lance handed him into the slice.  “Oh my gosh, this is heavenly!” he cooed after the first bite.  “Like seriously, how does anyone make anything taste like this?”  He eagerly shoved another bite into his mouth.

“I told you,” Lance bragged.  “You’ll need to make me a dessert so I can see if you can rival Hunk.  I know your cooking can, but now we need to have a bakeoff!”

Keith laughed through another mouthful.  “I can’t bake really well.  You have to follow directions when baking and I have trouble with that.”

“Why does that not surprise me?  Want another slice?” Lance asked, grinning as he noticed Keith had polished off his dessert. 

“Actually, I do.  I don’t want to be a pig, but I’ve honestly never tasted anything like that.”

They ate another slice, then Lance took Keith’s plate so he could throw both of them away.  “You want to watch that shark documentary now?”

 “I’d love to.”

“I’ll just refill our glasses,” Lance said, indicating the empty wine glasses.  Once he did, he held out his hand to Keith.  “Let us retire to the viewing area,” he said in a snobby voice.

Keith laughed easily, taking the offered hand and letting Lance pull him over to the couch where they settled down comfortably – close, but not too close, to each other, but still with their hands together.  Lance put his glass on the coffee table and grabbed the remote to turn on the television.

“You know, if you are really bored with this, just tell me.  I won’t be offended,” Lance said a little hesitantly.  As much as he wanted Keith to get into his major passion in life, he also didn’t want to completely turn him off and chase him away.  In spite of Keith’s assurances that he liked him, Lance still felt a little anxious about everything. 

“I’m looking forward to it,” Keith said, squeezing Lance’s hand lightly. 

“You know Shark Week, right?  On Discovery Channel?” Lance asked, then continued when Keith nodded, “I love Shark Week and record EVERYthing, even though I watch every single minute of it all week.  I saved this one because it was all about Mako sharks and was pretty good.  Gave me some good ideas for my own experiments and research.” 

“I’ve watched some of the shows here and there.  They are fascinating.  Makes me scared of going in the water, though.”

“Ah it’s not bad.  Most sharks will avoid humans.  We don’t taste good to them.  Most attacks are bites.  An exploratory nibble before the shark realizes we basically taste like liver pate to them.”

“I like liver pate.”

Lance made a face.  “First of all, ew.  Second of all, let’s just say we taste awful.”

“An exploratory bite from jaws that big and teeth that sharp isn’t anything to be blasé about,” Keith pointed out.

“Well, no,” Lance conceded.  “But still.  They most likely aren’t going to eat you.  Bulls might – they eat anything.  Most others won’t though.  And I can’t believe you just used the word blasé.”

Keith ignored the last comment.  “They’ll just leave you floating around without a limb or with a big hole in your side?” Keith asked, his tone teasing.

“Exactly!” Lance nodded, grinning.  He navigated through the menus until he found his show and hit play.  “Just let me know if you’re bored…” he started.

Keith squeezed his hand again.  “Quit worrying!”

“Ok ok!”

They were quiet throughout the show, though Lance glanced often at Keith to see if he really was interested.  It appeared that he was; he watched with an intensity that pleased Lance in a way.  Their hands were still joined, and Lance absently rubbed his thumb over the back of Keith’s hand.  About halfway through the show, while Lance fast-forwarded past the commercials, he asked, “What do you think?”

“It’s really interesting.  It’s so cool that you’re doing research on these same sharks.  It’s impressive.”  After he said that, Keith leaned closer and put his head gently on Lance’s shoulder.  “This ok?”

Lance stammered a little, his face flushing heatedly.  “Yes yes, of course.”

Keith hummed a pleased sound as Lance hit the button to play again.  “Good.  It’s been a long day and it feels good to relax.”

As if Lance could concentrate on the show now.  Not that he didn’t have it memorized, of course, and just the act of sitting next to Keith on the couch kept his attention away from his beloved sharks.  But now?  With Keith leaning against him?  All focus was gone now.  Oh, there was focus, but it was now concentrated on the softness of Keith’s hair brushing his neck and the soft pressure of Keith against the right side of his body. 

Again, without thinking it through, Lance let his head tilt a little to rest on the top of Keith’s, eliciting another pleased hum from the warm, dark-haired man so close to him.  Neither said anything.  Keith seemed focused on the television, though Lance couldn’t even tell where in the show they were.  Keith had to point out to Lance, with a light laugh, that they were in the commercial break.  Lance’s left hand scrambled for the remote, his cheeks burning, in order to fast forward through. 

“Stop distracting me,” Lance muttered as he pressed the forward button.

Keith just laughed again, louder this time.

 

* * *

 

 

“You said you had your own videos?  From your research last summer?” Keith asked as he sat up straighter on the couch.  The shark show was over and Lance had turned the TV off. 

Lance nodded, his smile widening.  “I do.  On my laptop.  Hang on.”  He let go of Keith’s hand and jumped up from the couch.  He was full of nervous energy.  Keith making the move to get closer on the couch keyed his nerves up, though it was nothing more than a head lean on a shoulder.  It was still sweet.  Lance suspected, from what Keith had told him, that Keith wasn’t very affectionate.  Or rather, hadn’t had the opportunity to BE affectionate with anyone. 

Lance retrieved the laptop from its’ spot on his desk and returned to sit next to Keith.  It took a few moments for Lance to open up the files for his thesis.  “I used these videos during my defense.”

“Defense?”

“Yeah.  I present my thesis to my advisors, a group of other professors, and anyone else who wants to come in and watch.  There was some people from the aquarium in San Diego there too.  Some other students.  Most of them had read my thesis and that was their chance to ask me questions.  Basically, they pick apart my thesis and I ‘defend’ it.  It’s more of a formality, because it wouldn’t have been published without peer review anyway.”

“Wow, I had no idea it was that complicated.”

Lance nodded absently as he scrolled through the files, looking for a particular one.  “It was pretty nerve-wracking.  I mean, I knew my research was solid, but these were all scientists and smart people and people I looked up to, you know?  I was SO nervous.  But it went alright.  I got my Masters anyway!”

Lance opened the video he was looking for.  It was a montage of different clips he took throughout the summer, focused mainly on tagging the sharks.  The team Lance was part of caught the Mako, tagged it and released it.  “We were trying to see if we could establish migration or migration patterns, so we were tagging them with these transmitters and tracking them.  It was pretty cool.  We tagged about a dozen sharks.”

“They’re huge,” Keith murmured as he leaned against Lance again to see the video better.

“Not as big as White’s, of course,” Lance said.  “Mako’s are actually pretty compact for sharks, but I guess compared to my scrawny little body, they’re big.”

Lance had forgotten that he was shirtless in many of the clips and he immediately regretted picking this video.  He had only thought Keith would like to see the process of catch, tag, release. _‘What if he thinks I’m just trying to come on to him by showing him video of me half-naked?_ ’ he thought with a certain amount of stress. 

However, Keith asked quite a few questions, in a curious tone, pointing at different things in the video as he questioned Lance.  They were intelligent questions, focused mainly on the why and what Lance was doing in the video.  Keith didn’t SEEM to be offended.  He SEEMED interested in everything happening. 

“I didn’t realize sharks were so beautiful,” Keith mentioned as the video ended. 

“They really are,” Lance said in a soft voice.  “Especially when you see them underwater.”

“You’ve dived with sharks?”  Keith’s tone was awed.

“Oh yeah, lots of times!  I always was running into them when I was scuba diving in Florida.”

“You weren’t scared?”

“Not really.  If you know what to do, they usually leave you alone.  The only time I was scared was in the Pacific.  We were diving and I saw a Great White above me.  Scared the piss out of me.  And, I hate to admit, it literally scared the piss out of me.  He was floating along there between the boat and me.  And no matter how much I knew about sharks, you can’t help but think of “Jaws” in that situation.”

“What did you do?” Keith breathed.  He had sat up straight on the couch and was staring at Lance with wide eyes. 

“Waited it out.  Luckily, I had plenty of oxygen in the tanks.  I didn’t see any others nearby and there wasn’t anything around for him to be interested in.  So glad we hadn’t been chumming for Mako’s that day.  That big boys’ attitude might have been much different if there was chum in the water.  But he was just cruising by.  He was beautiful, you know, but I definitely didn’t want to test out his temper.  Oh you gotta see this video!” Lance exclaimed as he remembered something.  “It wasn’t taken during my research trip.  I went on a dive when my family and me went to the Bahamas.  This was awesome.”  He clicked through a bunch of folders as he searched, muttering to himself under his breath.  “Here it is!”

He played the video and Keith once again leaned against him to watch.  The video showed two divers in the midst of a school of sharks.  They were both kneeling on the sand at the bottom of the ocean and sharks were swarming all around them.  One diver was scratching and rubbing the snout of a shark that was lying immobile in front of him while stroking his other hand over the back of the shark.

“Holy shit,” Keith whispered.

“That’s Neal,” Lance said, pointing to the diver watching.  “He leads these dives.  And all of those sharks are Caribbean Reef Sharks.  _Carcharhinus perezii_ to be exact.  And that,” he says, pointing at the diver petting the shark, “is me!”

“No way!”

“Way!  I saw this guy on some show.  He does a lot of stuff with sharks and tonic immobility.  That’s where you can put some shark species into a trancelike state.  So I started emailing him in undergrad.  Kept up with him on Facebook and Twitter.  You know, that kind of thing.  When my family went to the Bahamas before I started my Masters, Neal invited me for one of these dives he does and he showed me how to do this.”

“That is so fucking amazing!” Keith said, and Lance could hear the impressed tone in his voice.  “Seriously, weren’t you even nervous?  Your hand is right by his mouth.”

“Well, her mouth,” Lance said with a laugh.  “But not really.  These guys aren’t really aggressive.  They’re kind of lazy sharks.  But we were wearing shark suits, so even if she bit me, it would only bruise.”

“I still can’t believe it.  I don’t think I could ever do that.”

“Sure you can!  I’ll take you diving some day.  You won’t need to be scared if I’m there!”

Keith laughed, sitting up again and glancing at Lance.  “I don’t know about that.”

“I’d protect you, Keith.  No need to worry about that.”

Keith’s face relaxed from his laughter into a soft smile.  And oh, his eyes as he looked at Lance with such a FOND expression made Lance’s stomach clench in such a wonderful way.  Lance, ever impulsive, leaned toward Keith.  They were close enough to each other that it was quite easy for him to kiss the other man.  He half-expected Keith to pull away, but he didn’t.  It was a quick kiss, just a peck really, but Lance pulled back a few inches in order to see Keith’s reaction.  He still wore that smile.

“Sorry.  You just…you just looked so.  So.  So _cute_.  I had to kiss you.  I probably should have asked first,” Lance said in a voice above a whisper. 

Keith didn’t say anything right away; he just kept his eyes locked with Lance.  After a minute, he moved his hand to gently close Lance’s laptop.  Lance watched in surprised bemusement as Keith carefully moved the laptop from his lap to the little table in front of the couch.  Once he had done that, he reached up to touch his fingers lightly against Lance’s cheek.  “I didn’t say no when you asked last night.  Consider that a sort of standing permission to kiss me whenever you want.  Besides, last night you promised me more today.”

Seriously?  Where did this smooth Keith come from?  That thought floated through Lance’s mind for a second before the feeling of Keith’s lips back on his drove pretty much everything else from his brain.  Keith’s kisses were sweet and slow.  Sensual, to be sure, but not fiery hot and Lance found that he liked this a lot more.  They didn’t burn.  They were a comforting warmth that spread throughout his body; kisses that made him feel safe and at home and, he surprisingly thought, loved.  Keith’s hands wandered, concentrated on the skin of his face and his hair, his fingers caressing and caressing and caressing as if memorizing the textures.  Lance noticed his own hands were clutching at Keith’s shirtfront, wrinkling the nice dress shirt he wore.

They deepened their kisses.  Lance was the one to do that, nudging his tongue against Keith’s lips seeking entry.  Lance felt the fire ignite now – the first sparks of heat from Keith pulled a small growl from Lance and he heard and felt Keith chuckle at his reaction.  Lance tasted the slightly sour taste of the wine and even that was intoxicating.  Everything about Keith was intoxicating.  His beauty, his taste, his smell.  Lance knew at that moment that he was falling in love with this man – a man who, until yesterday, was a complete stranger to him; but Lance had never known anyone who fit into his whole concept of partner as perfectly as Keith did.

Never before had someone matched his ideal.  Not physically.  It was a bonus that he thought Keith gorgeous, but it was more than that.  Keith embodied exactly what Lance was looking for – intelligent, funny, kind and caring.  Lance wanted to warn himself not to get in too deep without knowing more about Keith, but part of the problem was that he already felt he had known Keith forever.  He couldn’t wait to introduce Keith to Hunk.  He couldn’t wait to meet Keith’s brother and friends.  He couldn’t wait to take Keith to Miami.  He already saw Keith as a permanent part of his life.

Keith pulled back after awhile and Lance’s eyes fluttered open to see the other man smiling at him, eyes half-closed.  “I’d say that makes up for leaving me hanging last night.”

Lance had to laugh, tilting his body forward so that his forehead pressed against Keith’s chest between his own hands.  Keith’s arms encircled him as they laughed together and Keith rested his cheek against Lance’s hair. 

“You’d have never gotten rid of me if I would have kissed you again last night, Kogane,” Lance said in a muffled voice. 

“Like I wanted to…” Keith murmured before pressing a kiss against Lance’s hair.

Lance felt his heart rate accelerate.  “It’s going to be hard enough letting you go tonight.”

Keith was quiet for a minute before he said softly, “You’re the first person I’ve ever wanted to stay with all night.”

Lance’s mouth went dry and he swallowed with difficulty.  He couldn’t quite bring himself to pull back and look at Keith because he couldn’t quite believe he heard that.  “I want you to stay all night,” Lance said, his voice thick with held back emotion.  “But I don’t want to move too fast with you.”

He bit his lip after he said that, thinking that Keith might be angry or hurt or who knows what? 

“I don’t want that either,” Keith admitted.  He shifted himself and using his hand, gently, on Lance’s chin, he made Lance look up at him.  “Like I said, I feel really good about this,” he said, his thumb caressing a small circle on Lance’s skin.  “I’m falling for you pretty hard and I don’t want to screw it up, so I want to take it slow.”  Then his expression shifted to something mischievous and wicked that completely threw Lance off his game.  “Not too slow, but slow.  Maybe the tenth date?”

Lance grinned.  “Isn't the unwritten dating rule that you put out on the third date?” he teased.

Keith seemed to consider this, pursing his lips adorably.  “Maybe for someone easy?” he suggested.  “I’m not easy and I don’t think you are either.  So as much as I want to, there is something hot about anticipation and waiting.”

Lance blinked a few times.  This man will be the death of him.  A sweet death, but death all the same.  And Lance LOVED it.  “Deal!  Tenth date it is!”

Keith chuckled and gave him another small kiss.  “Walk me home?  Early class tomorrow…” he said, a slight hint of regret in his tone. 

“What time is it?”

Keith’s eyes slid over to the digital readout on Lance’s cable box.  “After ten.  Red probably thinks I abandoned him.”

“We can’t have that,” Lance agreed, slowly detangling himself from Keith’s arms.  He stood up, turned and helped Keith to his feet to lead him to the door.

“I’ll be sure to write a good review for Chez McClain,” Keith said as Lance opened the door for him.

Lance had to laugh.  “Thanks!  We need all the help we can get.”

It took only a second to walk the few steps to Keith’s door.  He unlocked it, then turned to Lance.  “Thank you.  I had an amazing time tonight.” 

Lance felt giddy inside, because it looked like shy Keith had returned.  “I did too.  I’m glad you weren’t bored with all my shark stuff.”

“Not at all.  I can’t wait to hear more stories.  Text me tomorrow if you want.  I’ll let you know when I’m on the way home.  Maybe we can grab dinner again?”

“I’m supposed to go to Hunk’s for dinner,” Lance said, grimacing.  “But I’ll invite you, too, cause I want you to meet Hunk and Shay.”

“You can’t just invite me to someone else’s house, Lance,” Keith objected. 

“Sure I can!  It’s Hunk!  I can get away with anything with him.  Besides, I told you he’s excited to meet you.  I’m excited for you to meet him.  I really want you to like each other.”

“I’m sure I’ll like him.  He sounds like a great friend.  I mean, he does put up with you, so he has to be a saint,” Keith teased.

“Hey!  YOU have decided to put up with me, don’t forget.”

“And apparently, I’m a saint as well,” Keith said, distracting Lance with a quick goodnight kiss.  “See you tomorrow.”

Lance followed that with another kiss.  “Say hi to Red for me.”

“I will.  Goodnight.”

“Night.  Sweet dreams.”

Keith turned after entering his apartment and was shutting the door when Lance heard, “They are now,” in Keith’s soft voice before the door clicked closed.

Lance knew he would anger all of their neighbors if he squealed as he wanted.  He settled for dancing around the hallway and back to his apartment.  He would wait until he was safely tucked in bed, face down in his pillows, which would muffle all the happy screams he wanted to let out.  He had one thing to do before he could do that, however.

He found his phone, ignored the missed calls from his sister and his cousin, and instead opened the texting app and Hunk’s contact.

 **Lance:** _I think I have a boyfriend and he’s perfect and we had a great night and I can’t wait for you to meet him and he can’t wait to meet you and we kissed so much tonight I’m bringing him to your house for dinner tomorrow I hope you don’t mind_

 **Hunk:**   _I can’t wait_ <3

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Tonic Immobility in sharks is a real thing. And Neal is a real person that I hijacked for this story. Apologies to Neal :) There's a great video here if you're interested and I based the video Lance shows Keith exactly on this one: http://www.blueworldtv.com/webisodes/watch/shark-tonic-immobility
> 
> And there is a Shark Week show just about Mako's...
> 
> OMG I loved writing Hunk and Lance interaction in this. I already started a third entry in the series for when Keith meets Hunk.
> 
> Follow me at devooshawrites on Tumblr for updates!


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